Whether people are searching for wedding favors or for trade show giveaways, it seems that anyone would benefit from fun and useful promotional products.

I know, I know – the terms “fun” and “useful” appear together often when it comes to promotional items, but how many times is it actually true? I’ve seen many products advertised as both, but more often than not I’m disappointed with the end result. We all understand that personalized pens and imprinted calculators are useful, but can they honestly be considered fun? And, in contrast, promotional puzzles and custom stress balls are fun, but can they honestly be considered useful?

I, too, have often pondered this “fun and useful” conundrum…I work for Quality Logo Products®, but that doesn’t mean I have a full and complete understanding of EVERY product we offer – that would mean I’d have to commit hundreds of thousands of promotional products to memory! So, because I’m getting married in 2010 and I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for quality wedding favor ideas, I’ve been gradually accumulating a list of customizable promotional items from our website that are actually FUN and USEFUL! As I deem other promotional products worthy, I will update you accordingly.

Here’s my criteria – I sought out promotional products that could appeal to multiple age ranges, that could serve a number of purposes, and that could be reused.

I’d like to share some of my finds with you, so here are a few of my favorite affordable “double-duty” promotional products on the Quality Logo Products® website:

Cool Glow Ice Cubes

Cool Glow Ice Cubes are fun because they light up, which is WAY cooler than regular ice cubes! They’re useful because they keep your drink cold without watering it down. I think these colorful cubes would make popular wedding favors because they can be personalized in a number of colors and your guests aren’t likely to have received them at another wedding they attended last month.

Mint Tins and Mint Dispensers

Mint tins and mint dispensers are fully customizable with your dates or your company info, so you can go crazy! Different tins have different customization options; for example, I’d suggest debossed if you’re looking for an elegant gift and full color digital if you’re looking for a playful gift. These tins combine edible with reusable, which is always a plus! If I received these at a trade show or at a wedding, I’d definitely hold onto them.

Stress Ball Memo Holders and Key Chain Stress Balls

Stress ball memo holders and stress relievers are just as satisfying to squeeze as their full-size squeezie counterparts! Few can resist the temptation to squish colorful foam, especially when it’s in the shape of a cute penguin or another adorable creature. I’m skeptical about regular stress balls for my favors, just because it seems that guests would just toss them in the garbage after the reception. But then I thought: “why not give them a stress ball they can actually use when they’re not stressed?” The memo clip is excellent for holding notes together on desks, and the keychain is clearly superior when it comes to confining keys. It’s a win-win situation!

Glow in the Dark Stadium Cups and Color-Changing Stadium Cups

Many wouldn’t consider stadium cups fun, but what if they’re glow in the dark or mood-changing? They’re useful because, well, they’re cups! Seriously though, I would be happy to reuse one of these unique cups, and I think that others would as well. These fun cups are very inexpensive, so you could even consider giving out more than one color to each trade show attendee or wedding guest! Before you buy stadium cups or other custom drinkware, remember that the number of ounces in the product specifications is the exact amount of ounces it can hold! You can refer back to our previous blog post, “Custom Drinkware: A Cup’s Ounces are Important!” if you need a refresher course!

Unusual Mugs

These colorful and unusually-shaped mugs will stand out in any cabinet, and they definitely draw attention (especially in that screaming yellow color). It’s obvious that ceramic mugs are useful for coffee or tea drinkers, but what if your guests/recipients don’t do morning caffeine bursts? These fun mugs would make super pencil containers or even ice cream bowls after your event.

Fun Words Picture Frame Magnet

Kids (and adults with a sense of humor) can enjoy making phrases with the assorted words on these magnetic picture frames, and they can hold your favorite zany photo! Besides being picture frames, these magnets live up to their name and adhere important papers or notes to the refrigerator.

Which of these fun and useful promotional items is your favorite? I hope this blog post has helped you get some ideas, whether you’re in need of wedding favors or you’d like to hand out original items at trade shows. Remember, if you ever need help finding that PERFECT promotional product, then Quality Logo Products® has you covered. Reply to this post if you have anything to add or to ask – we’re always here to help!

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Jill Tooley

Jill has been obsessed with words since her fingers could turn the pages of a book. She’s a hopeless bibliophile who recently purchased a Kindle after almost 6 years of radical opposition, and she loves stumbling upon new music on Pandora. Random interests include (but are not limited to) bookstores, movie memorabilia, and adorable rodents. Jill writes for the QLP blog and assists with the company’s social media accounts. You can connect with Jill on Google+.

Comments

Kristina Jefries

Out of your entire list, I love the idea of unusual mugs. They can be reused for just about anything. My other favorite is the stress ball memo holders which can be used as name/place card holders.

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It's true that Quality Logo Products sells promotional items, but that's not the only topic covered on Branding Beat. Are you starved for new reading material? Here's where you'll find a feast of fresh articles every week. The QLP Blog Squad puts their heads together each week to deliver relevant and riveting posts that you won't want to skip. Ever.

Topics of our promo blog include (but are not limited to) marketing, promotion ideas, business and entrepreneurship, branding, customer service, technology, and all things geek, along with industry-relevant discussion. Pop by and see what you've been missing, because this isn't your average promotional products blog! We promise we won't bite you without your express permission.